Mail receptacle



Apr. 10, 1923.

N. PANAGOPOLOUS MAIL RECEPTACLE Filed Jan. 21, 1922 um/Enron WITNESSES.

A TTORNEYS' Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

earner QEFFEQE.

NICK PANAGOPOLOUS, OFIMUSKOG-EE, OKLAHOMA. V

.MAIL REGEPTAGLE.

Application filed January 21, 1922. Serial No. 530,852.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NICK PANAcoPoLoUs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Muskogee, in the county of Muskogee and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Receptacles, of which the following isa specification.

My present invention relates generally to receptacles, and more particularly to mail deposit and collection boxes,'myobject being the provision of a receptacle including a pouch bodily shiftable into and out of the receptacle and provided with means to receive therein deposited mail so that the mail co-l-- lector need not handle individual pieces of mail but may withdraw the deposited mail I in a single operation.

A still further object is the provision of a mail receptacle having an inner bodily removable mail receiving pouch whose body is of a collapsible nature so that when removed it may be more or less collapsed depending upon the amount of mail therein so as to 00- cupy necessary space only within a collecting vehicle and the like.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates my invention and forms a part of this specification,

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved mail receptacle, the door being open so as to expose the inner pouch to view,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the receptacle,

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the pouch in the normal distended position it occupies within the receptacle, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the pouch in the collapsed position.

Referring now to these figures my invention proposes a mail receptacle of generally rectangular form as indicated at 10 having the usual letter receiving slot 11 in its front wall and having at one side a hinged door 12, which is normally looked as is usual and which provides for access of the mail collector to the interior of the receptacle.

According to my invention the receptacle 10 has internal supports, whch may be in the nature of internal flanges 13 along its front and rear walls, the plane of these flanges being slightly below the plain 'of the letter receiving slot 11 so that they form convenient supports for the flanged sides 14 of a rigid pouch top 15, the later having a hinged lid 16 which is normally and rear with strap guide loops 19 through which a strap 20 is extended'so that when the pouch is removed from the receptacle 10 it may be collapsed more or less depending upon bulk of mail therein, and secured to collapsed position by the strap 20, one end of which has a buckle 21 and the opposite end of which has a lengthwise series of apertures 22 to receive the tongue of the buckle.

One side flange 14 of the rigid top 15 of the pouch, located at the front of the pouch, is also provided with a slot 23 which, when the pouch is slid into the receptacle 10 upon the internal supporting flanges 13 of the receptacle, registers with the mail receiving slot 11 of the receptacle so that the mail introduced through the latter will find its way through the pouch slot 23 and into the pouch.

In operation when a mail collector arrives at the receptacle 10, the door 12 of the receptacle is first unlocked and openedand the mail receiving pouch within the receptacle is then grasped and shifted outwardly by sliding the rigid flanged top oif of the supporting flanges 13 of the receptacle. The pouch is then collapsed and the strap 20 is tightened to hold the same in collapsed position so that it will occupy only the necessary space for its reception in a mail collecting vehicle. The mail collector then places an empty pouch within the receptacle and the door 12 is closed and locked.

It is quite obvious from this that great saving in time in the collection of mail will be elfected by virtue of the fact that all of the mail is removed from the receptacle in a single operation and it becomes unnecessary to handle individual pieces of mail. over the frequent and possibly careless handling of mail is done away with and consideration of individual pieces of mail is avoided except at the. receiving station where the pouch lids are unlocked for the discharge of mail from the pouch and then again locked before the return in empty condltion to the mail collector.

I claim:

In a'mail receptacle, apouch having a flexible collapsible body and a rectangular rigid top section of a permanent nature to More which the body is permanently attached and against which the body may be collapsed, provided with a mail introducing slot centrally of one side and having a hinged and normally locked closing lid in its top afiording access to the body for the removal of mail therefrom, said body having strap guides, and a strap normally carried in said guides and extendible When connected around the rigid top to hold the body in 001- 10 lapsed position against the top and across said slot and said lid to prevent loss of mail from the former and avoid accidental opening of the latter.

NICK PANAGOPOLOUS. 

